Students in Kent and New Castle counties collected $36,000 through Pasta for Pennies, presented by Olive Garden and benefiting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).

More than 13,000 students at 23 elementary, middle, and high schools filled collection jars and boxes in their classrooms with spare change over a three-week period during the school year. The spare change, raised through Pasta for Pennies, helps fund blood cancer research and provides much needed services and support to leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma patients and their families.

The top fundraising schools in Delaware include: Thurgood Marshall Elementary School in Newark with $4,868.01 collected; Lake Forest North Elementary School in Felton with $3,020.68 collected; Our Lady of Fatima in New Castle with $3,001.03 collected. This year, more than $10 million was raised through Pasta for Pennies bringing the total raised since 1994 to more than $70 million. For more information, visit LLS.org.